Welcoming & Embracing the Stranger: Lenten Reflections with the Artwork of James Tissot

March 19, 2026 - Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The night before our wedding, my soon-to-be husband and I knelt before statues of the Holy Family. My betrothed whispered to me, “He doesn’t have shoes. They made him walk to Egypt without shoes?!” My attention quickly turned away from the to-do list a mile long running through my head to the statue of St. Joseph in front of me. Much like Mary going to visit her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-40), I imagine St. Joseph set off with haste to protect his family - the Church - from King Herod. Maybe he forgot his shoes or lost them in the process! This funny moment forced me to truly pause and marinate in the heavenly friendship that developed between two former strangers. 

Sometimes we are the stranger. We might be new to a location, a job, or a parish. When we need them most, the saints usually find us and become our intercessors. In the 33-day preparation for consecration to St. Joseph, I learned more about Joseph than I ever had previously. I had thought of him as more of a grandfatherly figure, irrelevant to me, and a stranger. Thanks to his fortitude grounded in love, I welcomed him into my heart. I was struck by his strength and protection:

“If you consider the titles that the Church gives St. Joseph in his litany (Guardian of the Redeemer; Chaste Guardian of the Virgin; Guardian of Virgins; Model of Workmen; Terror of Demons; etc.), they lean in the direction that St. Joseph was young and strong. […] It takes strength to be a guardian; it takes health to be a worker. Can an old man do these things? As Mother Angelica said, ‘old men don’t walk to Egypt!’” (Calloway, Consecration to St. Joseph)

While I welcomed St. Joseph into my life, he embraced me with open arms and continues to intercede for me. When a novena at a pivotal point in my life did not “grant” my desire outcome, I was still met with peace that I was safe and protected no matter what ensued. 

Learning of his human imperfections among a family of literally perfect people, I could relate more to Joseph. He must have felt like a stranger in his own family too. In today’s Gospel, we hear of St. Joseph’s hesitation to accept that his betrothed had conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is a natural human reaction. Then the angel appears to him in a dream and tells him “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” 

Of course, Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home” (Matthew 1:24a). He became the model of welcoming and embracing the stranger, particularly each of us as members of the Church. Furthermore, to understand his role as foster father of Jesus is to accept St. Joseph as our own guardian – to form a relationship in which we are strangers no more. 

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that by Saint Joseph's intercession your Church may constantly watch over the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation, whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. (Roman Missal)

Katherine Lizzo, Coordinator of Student & Administrative Support Services

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